arsenals a selling club

stearmaster · Post by **stearmaster** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 6:46 am

from the mirror.....

Emmanuel Petit fears Arsenal are becoming a selling club - and may pay for it by losing their place in the Champions League next season.

Thierry Henry, Freddie Ljungberg and Jose Antonio Reyes have all departed, with boss Arsene Wenger bringing in only striker Eduardo Da Silva and defender Bakari Sagna.

Petit believes that lack of investment could see the Gunners miss out on Europe's top club competition - potentially to bitterest rivals Spurs.

Thierry Henry, Freddie Ljungberg and Jose Antonio Reyes have all departed, with boss Arsene Wenger bringing in only striker Eduardo Da Silva and defender Bakari Sagna.

Petit believes that lack of investment could see the Gunners miss out on Europe's top club competition - potentially to bitterest rivals Spurs.

AdvertisementThe former France midfielder, who spent three years at Highbury, said: "How long will it take for these young players to be ready to be really challenging for the league?

"I don't know - if they become very good players Arsenal are going to sell them. It's good sometimes to sell top players when they get to 30 or 31, but when I have a look at the Arsenal politics in the last five years we sold our best players: Pires, Vieira, Henry."

Petit, now an analyst for sports channel Setanta, added: "If you sell a player and you get money it's fair enough but you have to realise what you're losing when you sell a player.

"If you sell players who represent the image and the spirit of the club, for example Patrick Vieira, you can spend a lot of money, you can find very good players, but in the dressing room and on the pitch you need leaders.

"I think this year is very important for Arsenal. If they don't perform well and don't finish in the top four then financially they will be struggling and there will be less money on the transfer market.

"It becomes a downward spiral - unless Kroenke or somebody buys the club.

"I just want the board to realise that if you want to win titles you need the dynamism of the young players, but the experience and maturity of the older players as well.

"If Tottenham finish ahead of Arsenal that would prove the politics at Tottenham have been very good. This is probably the most Spurs have spent in the last decade.

"The last two years they finished one or two points off the Champions League and maybe think now is the time to spend to go a step forward. I think they can get a Champions League spot."

loverly copy and paste agen

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/ ... -19604835/

Magic Hat · Post by **Magic Hat** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 7:09 am

Let us see, we have sold this season
1) A player who didn't want to play in England
2) An injury hit captain
3) a past it side midfielder
4) Ali

Veria was going past it, we got Cesc instead while Pires was starting to fade. We added players we need, maybe one or two more but I think Petit has no idea what he is talking about

we_are_the_arsenal · Post by **we_are_the_arsenal** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 7:35 am

yeh, we dont sell them at their peak unless they have personal reasons (Reyes).

Silly comment from Petit.

All_Arsenal_1886 · Post by **All_Arsenal_1886** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 8:33 am

Why do Ex. Gooners insist on talking shite as if they know Arsene and the club, I don't mind selling player if they want to go or we make a healthy profit out of them

If we was a selling club Cesc, Toure, Rosicky and RvP would have gone by now because lots of clubs are intrested

gunnerhead · Post by **gunnerhead** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 11:34 am

I don't know about you guys but all this negative talk from former players and analysts can only be a good thing for the team. There have been may nay-sayers and detractors on this forum as well. Petit is just echoing the concerns of many.

It's obvious our team has great chemistry together and as v.Persie says, they're all "willing to run for each other". These are professional players with a lot of pride and the only way they can silence their critics is to win games and I truly believe that's what they're going to do.

TheOne2Smooth · Post by **TheOne2Smooth** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 12:51 pm

Do you know I would rather listen to George Graham talk about Arsenal than several ex Arsenal players ie Alan (sit on the fence, because I dont want anyone knowing I played for 10 years for the club) Smith.

At least with George he never bad mouths the team or Wenger when it would be quite easy for him to do so!

players like Alan Smith, Paul Merson, Manu Petit to name a few should take a example from legends like
Frank McClintock, Ian Wright, Lee Dixon, Charlie George and Charlie Nicolas! Real Arsenal players who know who made them what they are

augie · Post by **augie** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 2:48 pm

Why is it that any perceived criticism of Arsenal is automatically knocked by all and sundry regardless of its content ? In my opinion what petit said has been echoed on this forum for the last 3 months so clearly he aint alone in his opinions. He made the point about lack of leaders and we have all at some point over the last 12 months have made the same observations.Maybe I am wrong but being classed as a selling club doesnt come from just selling your best players alone but by not replacing them and god knows that shoe def applys to us.

Post by **REB** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 3:13 pm

augie as always makin good points,, as you i also wish we had a bit more experience in our squad as a couple of injuries could really see us struggle.. but sometimes the glass is half full and hopefully just hopefully, aw knows how good his currant squad is,, not moanin about the negativety but as the season hasnt started yet lets be positive and well u never know,, in arsene i thrust,,

daz10_uk · Post by **daz10_uk** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 3:29 pm

All_Arsenal_1886 wrote:Why do Ex. Gooners insist on talking shite as if they know Arsene and the club, I don't mind selling player if they want to go or we make a healthy profit out of them
If we was a selling club Cesc, Toure, Rosicky and RvP would have gone by now because lots of clubs are intrested

Lets not kid ourseves. I think to a point we are a selling club..... Do you see Ronaldinho every year being touted by other "bigger" clubs???? No because lets face it Barcelona are in the top 5 big clubs. Cesc will be gone within 3 years, personally i think next summer we will lose him, if Van the man keeps playing the way he has in pre season he will go soon . Like it or not we arent one of the big clubs,maybe we are the next tier. None of their fans spend the summers sweating like we do about who will go next. They only ditch players who THEY dont want anymore.

Im Arsenal through and through and i love the club and have had many amazing Highbury games/away days and games/days out abroad watching the gunners so please dont accuse me of being a spy but i am a realist. I know im gonna get battered for typing this but .......

IW8Goalmachine · Post by **IW8Goalmachine** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 3:46 pm

no your totally correct every summer it happens clubs come around sniffing becuase they know they'll get what they want eventually. Cesc and RVP is next group of players on the agenda and no doubt Diaby wil be there soon.

WinterburnsRightFoot · Fri Aug 10, 2007 3:49 pm

A rather pessimistic view boys but one that I can't really argue with.

All_Arsenal_1886 · Post by **All_Arsenal_1886** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 3:57 pm

daz10_uk wrote:Like it or not we arent one of the big clubs,maybe we are the next tear.

If we are not a big club explain this
Premier League
1997/98 1st
1998/99 2nd
1999/00 2nd
2000/01 2nd
2001/02 1st
2002/03 2nd
2003/04 1st
2004/05 2nd
2005/06 4th
2006/07 4th
2007/08 ???

So chelsea have won two leagues on the trot and are a big club???
So Liverpool have never won the premier league but are a big club???
Man Utd are obviously a big club
Also our home attendance 60,000 week in week out, Liverpool i think it's 40,000 odd and Chelsea the same but stuggle to sell out some premiership matches and most cup matches.

Yes we don't have owners who can spash the cash but we are a club that can run of it's own income, if we wasn't a big club why do youngsters insist this is the club to learn their trade.

We have worldwide support, this forum alone backs that up, i think we hold the record for most registerd members in europe

I think we are a bigger club now that 3/4 years ago, we may not have won nothing for two seasons Man Utd didnt for three and there stilll big

so if you seriously think we are in the same tear as Everton, Spurs, Newcastle and other clubs like that i think your very wrong on that.

Come on Arsenal

Magic Hat · Post by **Magic Hat** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 4:00 pm

Who have we lost that we don't want to lose? Reyes who just didn't adapt to England and Anelka years ago? We sell players when they are past it and buy players we need, it means Arsene is a smart manager, not that we are a selling club.

daz10_uk · Post by **daz10_uk** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 4:04 pm

Im not saying we are in the next tier as far as English clubs go i think we are up there with the best but with European clubs we arent in the top tier. Dont think i class us with Sp*rs or Villa. Tell me why a Barcelona/ Real Madrid or AC Milan player never gets approached all summer about moving to bigger clubs? Coz there aint any...... Any constant talk of Kaka, Ronaldinho, Robinho C.Ronaldo blah blah blah getting "poached" NOPE....

I hate the summers as a gooner because i know there will be talk of our best going.

WinterburnsRightFoot · Fri Aug 10, 2007 4:10 pm

I understand what you mean daz.

We are considered a big club in Europe, just not one of the elite. We would be in this top echelon if we had a European Cup win or two behind us.